“Provoking outrage remains a common goal of misinformation purveyors. People are generally better at detecting misinformation when they slow down and engage their logical, critical faculties. But strong emotions quickly circumvent these higher-order abilities and cause people to like and share online content too quickly. Outrage is one of the most effective emotional targets that purveyors of misinformation can use to get their messages to spread widely. Whether it’s claims that wildly exaggerate runaway gas prices or inflation, or posts designed to galvanize antipathy for a particular public figure, outrage continues to prove itself a major vulnerability in people’s information defenses.” This is a direct quote from the News Literacy Project’s newsletter May 23, 2022 edition of The Sift titled Viral Rumor Rundown. You can get a free subscription to this helpful newsletter from the News Literacy Project delivered to your inbox by clicking on Resources from the homepage of this website. Find the News Literacy Project and click into that. While you are there, check out the many valuable resources they offer.
Blog
Russian state “news” channel uses footage from TV series to make false claims
Russians claim Ukrainian forces are staging deaths and use footage from a TV series to “prove” that. Read the article posted on the News Literacy Project page.
Why American life has become fractured
Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist in New York. Here is his thought provoking article.
How the BBC verifies social media posts from the war in Ukraine
How do you know if a photo or video posted online is true or false? Here are some examples from a BBC disinformation team member.
The Unsung Force Digging Through Misinformation
Grad students are shining a light on disinformation and conspiracy theories. They illustrate some of the persuasive techniques that are frequently used. Click here for the article
News Literacy Project Offers free email updates
I highly recommend signing up for the News Literacy Project’s email updates on current news stories, Internet posts, and Social Media trends. Go to the Resources page on this website and click on News Literacy Project or click here. Scroll to the bottom of that page for the email sign up. You will be glad you did.
Protect yourself against misinformation/disinformation
Be sure to fact check claims about biolabs in Ukraine and other rumors trending on social media. Several reputable fact checking services are linked on the Resources page of this website. Remember to be skeptical until you have done some verification! Also, if you get most of your news and information from social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Whats App, etc.), consider switching to news sources that employ journalistic standards and have a board of editors. If you have a favorite news show that is always one-sided, consider fact checking their claims.
War Via TikTok
Click here for a fascinating look how Russia is using this tool for its propaganda.
How to Avoid Falling For and Spreading Misinformation about Ukraine
Click here to see this Washington Post guide to avoiding misinformation.
Choose your news sources wisely
In this age of massive misinformation, disinformation and propaganda, use the resources on this website to help you become better at finding facts and recognizing fiction.